Railway track rail



June 10, 1930. G M MAGEE 1,763,472

RAILWAY TRACK RAIL Filed June 6, 1929 3 7 6 Patented June 10, 1930 UNITED STATES MGBAJZ GERALD M. MAGEE, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI RAILWAY TRACK RAIL .AppIication filed June a, 1929. Serial No. 368,881

This invention relates to improvements in railway rails.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide an improved rail structure having a replaceable tread.

In the solid rolled rails of the type at present in use it is necessary that great stiffness and strength be given the rail to support the present heavy wheel load imposed thereon and as there is only a relatively small amount of metal of the tread worn away before itis necessary to replace or retire the rail, great expense is incurred in keeping up track ways. The present invention aims to overcome the expense of frequent replacement of rails by the provision of a rail having a portion of the top or tread thereof replaceable so that after the tread has become worn it may be replaced by a new tread body without the necessity of taking up and recasting the entire rail.

Another object of the invention is to provide railway rails of a character which, by reason of the provision of replaceable tread surfaces, joints may be made between the rails of such a character that acontinuous smooth running surface is obtained which will materially reduce wear and tear upon equipment and the noise of car wheels passing over the connections between the rails.

The invention will be best understood from a consideration of the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanylng drawing formlng a part of the present invention, with the understanding, however, that the invention is not confined to any strict conformity with the showing of the drawing but may be changed or modified so long as such changes or modifications mark no material departure from the salient features of the invention, as expressed in the appended claims.

In the drawing Figure 1 is a view in cross section of a railway track rail constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 2 is a view in side elevation of the rail showing the method of disposing the joints between the ends of abutting rails.

Referring to the drawing in detail, the numeral 1 indicates generally the lower portion of a railway track rail of the usual type, the same comprising the base 2 and the web 3 with the improved head constituting the present invention indicated as numeral 4.

As shown, the present improved rail structure hasthe head 4 formed in two sections, the subsection 5 and the tread section 6. The subsection 5 has a flat top surface 7 which is flush with a laterally projecting flange 8 formed' at one side and extending longitudinally of the subsection. The opposite side of the subsection from the flange carrying side has formed along the upper portion of the face thereof, the recess 9, the lower part of which is inset as indicated at 10.

The tread section 6 of the presentrail consists of a strip of relatively thick high grade steel designed to rest upon the surface 7 of the subsection, the top face of the tread section being curved to conform to the present standard rail construction. Projecting longitudinally of one edge of the tread section is a flange 11, the lower face of which is flush with the underface of the tread while the top surface or tread is arranged in a plane below the top of the tread, as shown in Figure 1. This flange 11 is designed to overlie and rest upon the flange 8 of the subsection and is secured thereto at suitable intervals, preferably I intervals of about three feet with the bolts 12, each of which passes downwardly through the flanges and has a flat head 13, lying with the top surface in a plane below the top surface of the tread so that car wheels running along the tread will not come into contact therewith. These bolts are secured by suitable nuts 11 which may be held against rotation by suitable lock washers 15.

While I have shown and described a particular type of flat headed bolt, it is of course, to be understood that I do not wish to be limited in any manner to this method of securing the flanges 8 and 11 together for it is obvious that other means may be advantageously employed.

The side of the tread section 6 opposite the flange 11 has a downwardly projecting inner wall flange 16 formed integral therewith,

a whole by the e the inner face of this flange having formed along the edge thereof the inwardly projecting tongue 1'? which engages in the inset portion 10 of the recess 9 to maintain the tread in place, in conjunction with the securing bolts 12. The flange portion 16 of the tread forms a partof the inner face of the rail head against which a car wheel flange bears, and is suitably angled with respect to the tread section 6 to slope the inner face of the head in the usual manner. I

In addition to providing rails with the removable treads described a track con structed of rails of the character herein described will be made stronger and more rigid than tracks built in the usual manner by arranging the tread sections 6 so that the joints between the ends of the tread sections will be located between the joints between the supporting subsections so that a single substructure will be obtained as the joints therebetween will be supported by the track sections and the joints between the tread sections will in turn be supported by solid portions of the subsection. In this way impact between car wheels and the rails at the joints will be reduced proportionately.

In addition to the structure above described a suitable cushioning material may be interposed between the sections 5 and 6 if found desirable so that a further deadening of the noise incident to the running of car wheels over the rail Will be obtained.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that with rails constructed in accordance with the present invention great stiffness may be obtained with lower unit stress thereby eliminating rail failures and reducing rail deflection, rail wave action and tie pressure resulting in economies in derailments, train resistance, equipment repairs, track maintenance and tie renewals.

In other wordssection 5 affords all the advantages that are obtained in the present heavyrail sections without their common disadvantage of large annual depreciation with the resultant necessary scrapping of the major part of the present rail section when only a very smallpox-tion has been lost by actual wear.

Another important feature of the present rail construction is the formation of the rail which will prevent derailment in the event that a failure occurs in the tread section, the

supporting section therefor taking the strain of cars passing thereover.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. An improved railway rail comprising a base portion, said base portion having a longitudinal recess formed along the inner edge thereof whereby to provide an inset locking portion, and a tread section adapted to be mounted on said base portion, said tread secflange on the inner edge thereof adapted to engage in said longitudinal recess.

2. An improved railway rail comprising a base section having a longitudinal recess formed along the inner edge thereof, a flange outstanding from the opposite edge of the base, and a tread section removably mounted on said base, said tread section having a depending inwardly extending flange along the inner edge thereof adapted to engage in said longitudinal recess and a longitudinal outstanding flange to engage said outstanding flange on the outer or other side of the base section.

3. An improved railway rail comprising a base section having a longitudinal recess formed along the inner edge portion thereof, a flange outstanding from the outer edge of the base, a tread member adapted to be mounted on the base, a flange depending from said tread member and adapted to extend inwardly whereby to removably engage in said longitudinal recess, and a substantially horizontally extending flange outstanding from the outer edge portion of said tread member and a longitudinal outstanding flange to engage said outstanding flange on the outer or other side of the base section.

4. An improved railway rail comprising a base section having a longitudinal recess formed along the inner edge thereof, a longitudinal flange outstanding from the outer edge portion of said base, and a tread member adapted to be removably mounted on said base section, said tread member comprising a tread section, a depending longitudinal flange positioned along the inner edge portion of said tread member and adapted to engage said recess whereby to prevent lateral movement of the tread member, a longitudinal flange outstanding from the outer edge portion of said tread member and adapted to engage said longitudinal flange of said base section, and securing means engaging said longitudinal flange of said base section and said longitudinal flange of said tread member whereby to securely hold the tread member on the base and a longitudinal outstanding flange to engage said outstanding flange on the outer or other side of the base, section.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature.

GERALD M. MAGEE.

. tion having a depending inwardly extending l'lO 

